The National Medical Commission (NMC) will seek details from the Income Tax department of doctors whose names have been unearthed during the raids at pharma company Micro Labs, News18.com has learnt.
In July, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had tasked the Department of Pharmaceuticals and NMC to conduct a special and separate investigation into the alleged “unethical practices” of the pharma firm, first reported by News18.com.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in July accused the makers of the popular Dolo-650 of indulging in unethical practices and distributing freebies of about Rs 1,000 crore to doctors and medical professionals in exchange for promoting products made by the Bengaluru-based pharmaceutical group.
The regulator of medical professionals in India, NMC, sent a letter on Wednesday to Nitin Gupta, chairperson of the CBDT, to seek more details establishing the “alliance between pharmaceutical companies and doctors”.
Citing the regulations of code and conduct of doctors in India under Section 6.8 of the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics), it has requested CBDT “to send names along with registration number and addresses of the doctors involved so that those details may be forwarded to the state medical councils concerned for information and necessary action”.
The letter written by Dr Yogender Malik, member of ethics committee at NMC, emphasised that the NMC is “committed to bring ethics in lives of registered medical practitioners and won’t tolerate any misconduct”.
A source privy to the development told News18.com that “after receiving the names from the I-T department, NMC will conduct interviews with the doctors to establish the bribing or unethical practices. The process is long and time-consuming, asking for names is just a beginning”.
Based on the discussions, the NMC’s panel will submit the investigation report to the health ministry which is expected to reveal more details on the “modus operandi” of pharmaceutical firms.
“The doctors who will be proven guilty may lose their medical certification and right to continue practice,” an official said, adding that “establishing bribery won’t be a simple process”.
Micro Labs is ranked 19th in terms of sales among the organised sector in the pharmaceuticals industry. The company, on its website, claims to “ethically promote its products to healthcare professionals across the country, covering more than 150,000 doctors”.
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